


Remembered

by bigwolfpup, TiBun



Series: The Past Behind [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Cockblocking, Domestic Fluff, Fade to Black, Family Fluff, Implied/Referenced Past Mpreg, M/M, Obimaul - Freeform, Two Great Dads, child of mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-01 03:56:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18328142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigwolfpup/pseuds/bigwolfpup, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiBun/pseuds/TiBun
Summary: After regaining their past memories of who they had been, Obi-Wan and Maul find their family to be in danger from the Sith and they are forced to scramble for protection and safety.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: We do not own any recognizable characters, we only explore the possibilities.

Obi-Wan smiled as he tucked Eliza in and kissed her cheek once she finally settled down for bed. Then he quietly slipped out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

"Not a bad night time. Only two stories before she couldn't keep her eyes open." He chuckled as he sat down next to his fiancé, Maul, and across from the two Jedi who had turned their peaceful little life into unknown chaos.

"Good, she needs a good night sleep," Maul said as Obi-Wan sat down.

"It's been a long day for her—and for us." The redhead glanced over at the two Jedi—his old Master, and the boy who had taken his place. "Unfortunately, I get the feeling it's not over for us."

Maul nodded, shifting his gaze over to the Jedi.

Anakin shifted awkwardly. "Sorry to ruin your day... But I don't think any of us were prepared for what was going to happen."

"Clearly." Obi-Wan sighed, leaning into Maul's side and wrapping his arms around his middle.

Qui-Gon sighed, clearly annoyed by the open show of affection from his former padawan to the former Sith.

"You should come to Coruscant with us." He said, fixing his grey-blue gaze on Obi-Wan specifically.

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes, "I'm quite happy with the life Maul and I have made for ourselves here on Naboo."

"You belong in the Temple, Obi-Wan, you—"

"You never wanted to train me from the beginning." Obi-Wan interrupted, "You denied me when you were my last hope of becoming a Padawan until we were forced to work together and you reconsidered. But then you were ready to toss me aside as soon as someone new caught your eye. And after I fell you never even looked for me! Why should I think I should return to that life when you, yourself, have shown me you don't think I belong? Regaining my memories has only made me realize how much pain you have caused me. Maul may have been a Sith, and he may have tried to kill me, but he was there with me when we awoke broken and in need of help. He stayed by my side as we healed. He took care of me when I was unable to work, he supported me in starting my own bakery, and he has loved me deeply. He is the father to my child, and Sith or not, he has shown me that I belong at his side."

Anakin glanced at his master. "I don't think trying to convince Obi-Wan to come back with us is going to work, Master…"

Maul pulled Obi-Wan closer. "I won't let you take him," he said in a cautious warning tone.

"Obi-Wan, you are a Jedi. You are well overdue for your knightly trials."

"Trials which I have already failed. I'm not a Jedi, I'm a baker, a father, and a lover. After tasting how sweet life can be, I can't go back. I can't abandon my daughter just for the chance at being a Jedi Knight. I've changed, Master Jinn, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Master, he's not going to change his mind," Anakin reminded Qui-Gon, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"He needs to! He was meant for great things—not to open his legs for a Sith! No padawan of mine is going to be a—"

"Your padawan before me fell into darkness and tried to kill you. I think it's safe to say that you don't have any control over what your padawans become, and if I'm a whore for falling in love, then I'll happy stay a whore." Obi-Wan snapped. "Maul isn't the Sith he once was, and I'm not the Jedi you remember. How many times must we go over this?"

"You won't be safe here, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon huffed out.

"I think it's better if we just leave them be, Master," Anakin said firmly. "We've already disrupted their day enough, and we're only making it worse by being here and talking about the past."

"Your padawan is a smart one," Maul casually said. "I'd take his advice and leave."

"Anakin, if we can find them and even feel them in the force now that those blocks are gone, then how long until the Sith Master finds them? The Sith won't hesitate to kill and take that child to twist her into the same dark monster this one had been!" Qui-Gon pointed at Maul.

Obi-Wan's blood ran cold at the words.

Anakin stood up quickly and pulled his master out of the room. "Master, your behavior is out of line, and it's pretty bad if your own padawan is telling you this," the boy hissed. "Think about this for a moment. Obi-Wan is safe here, has been since he and Maul got here. They've been living with each other for so long now that there's little chance that old habits will come up. They clearly like each other enough to be in a relationship and have a child."

"And if you're wrong? If the Sith Master shows up to confront their former apprentice? They," he gestured to the couple, "Wouldn't stand a chance. What would they do? Throw baked goods at the Sith and hope that will be enough to get it to leave them alone? They'll be killed."

"You have to trust that they'll survive if the worst happens. Now that they remember who they are, their fighting techniques might be ingrained in their minds again."

"And a lack of lightsabers leaves them ill-equipped." Qui-Gon sighed, "I know I hurt Obi-Wan with my rash actions, but I have always felt fatherly towards him. I don't approve of his taste in men, obviously, but I want him at the temple where he'll be safe."

Anakin shook his head. "You still don't get it. It's not like their knowledge of how to fight is gone completely. They can still protect themselves, Master."

"I have a bad feeling about this, Anakin."

"Well, forget about that feeling and trust the Force. It brought these two together for a reason, and you can't change the will of the Force."

"No, but I can protect Obi-Wan and his youngling."

"That job is already taken, Master, and you have to accept that whether you like it or not."

"I don't like it." The old Jedi actually pouted.

Anakin sighed and rubbed his face in frustration. "You are the most stubborn Jedi I've ever met." He let his hands drop. "Listen, we are going to leave them be, okay? We're already making them mad, and I'd rather not get kicked out of their bakery, so let's just apologize and leave their home."

 

* * *

 

 

Inside the apartment, Obi-Wan turned to his future husband, "Do you think that would happen? That your old master would hunt you down and even consider taking our child?"

Maul shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't have the slightest clue. He's not really the type to take children… but if he could use them in some way for his own advantage, he might consider taking one and manipulating it as it grew up."

"When she began to show signs of being Force sensitive, I worried the Jedi would come take her away…but the idea of a Sith taking her is much worse. I don't know the Sith's power…would we be able to protect her?"

There was a long pause, as if Maul hadn't heard the question or had simply ignored it. Eventually he did sigh and look at Obi-Wan. "I don't know…"

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and nodded, "Think we should….at least make new lightsabers? So we're prepared?"

"It might be a good idea…"

Obi-Wan nodded and sighed, "Also…if you know the Sith's identity…maybe if you tell the Jedi, they can take action which would ultimately help protect our little Eliza."

Maul nodded, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he told himself to not give away the identity. He swallowed and glanced towards where the Jedi had gone to talk. "Maybe I'll tell them…"

"I won't force you to. I'm not a Jedi, and I don't know what your life had been like before. But I won't live in the past. Our family is my only priority." Obi-Wan promised, kissing Maul's cheek. "I'll look up how much it'll cost for us to get a transport to Ilum so we can get our kyber crystals for our new lightsabers."

Maul smiled at Obi-Wan and nodded. "Maybe we should make some more pastries. The more credits we have the better for this trip."

"Are you sure you don't just want to eat them?" Obi-Wan laughed, "You're already starting to get a bit soft from munching on sweets." He poked Maul's belly.

"Oh believe me, I'd love to eat them, but selling them so we'd have money is more important. Besides, I need to work off all the extra weight I've gained anyways."

"Hmm, soft pillow belly…or sexy six-pack… I'm not sure which is better."

"I've gone long enough with the belly, I think it's high time I work it off." Maul pat his stomach gently, knowing he had let himself go since the birth of their daughter.

"Does that mean I have to shed my chub, too?" Obi-Wan asked. He was finding it difficult to lose the baby weight he had put on during pregnancy—though whether that was due to his career as a baker or not he did not know.

"Not if you don't want to. I would like to lose the weight though, so that's what I'm going to do."

"Good, because I don't think I can do it so easily." Obi-Wan chuckled, then sighed, running a hand through his hair as he glanced at the door, "You know, I have nothing against Anakin, he was just a kid last I saw him…but I do hope Qui-Gon just leaves us be."

"Me too," Maul said, also looking at the door. "I hope there's no hard feelings about that fight when we were younger..."

"Maul," Obi-Wan shifted so that he was straddling the Zabrak's lap, smiling down at him, "I already told you I wasn't going to live in the past."

"I know, but... My mission was to kill someone that day. That's the whole reason I was there on Tatooine, and I tracked you and your master here to Naboo." Maul sighed and leaned his face forward into Obi-Wan's chest.

"Lucky for us both, you failed." Obi-Wan said, stroking Maul's horns, "And we both aren't those people anymore. It matters what we do now, not what we did then. Just don't try to kill me again, okay?" he chuckled.

Maul's chuckled was muffled, but it still lightened the mood. "Don't worry, I'll never try to kill you again."

"Then we'll be fine. We got through healing from our fall together, we can get through this as well—together." Obi-Wan tilted Maul's head back so he could lightly kiss his lips.

The Zabrak welcomed the kiss with a sigh, his arms wrapping around Obi-Wan's middle. "Hey, once these guys leave... Want to have a little fun before bed?"

"Oh, that sounds so nice…it's been a while…" the former Jedi moaned.

Maul kissed under the redhead's jaw with a smile. "Should we kick these guys out and close the bakery for the day"

"Bakery's already closed." Obi-Wan smiled, "All we have to do is ditch the Jedi and dig out the lube and condoms."

"Good, I think those two have overstayed their welcome." Standing up from the seat, Maul headed to the door the Jedi went through to speak, but when he reached the doorway, Anakin came through, looking annoyed.

"Sorry to bother you two anymore," Anakin apologized. "My master and I were just leaving."

Obi-Wan blinked, "That…was easy."

"My master is very reluctant to leave, but I made him see reason...partially." Anakin looked back at Qui-Gon, who was glaring at Maul as he passed. "We will be leaving now before minds are changed about this situation."

"Wait." Obi-Wan pushed himself up and ran to the kitchenette, grabbing a bag of cookies from a display. Then he handed them to Anakin. "For helping us with our memories…we may not like it, but it does help us in protecting our daughter. We have our training back, and even if we are rusty…thanks."

Anakin took the cookies with a smile. "Good luck with the future." With that both he and a very upset Qui-Gon left the bakery, and once more Obi-Wan and Maul were alone.

Obi-Wan shut the door and smirked at Maul. "Well, hello there."

Maul rolled his eyes. "Go get the stuff and bring it out here. We're doing it on the couch today."

"Don't tell me I'm losing my touch." He half-pouted, moving to the refresher where they kept their lube and condoms hidden high out of Eliza's curious grasp.

"No, you're not. If anything, you're getting more powerful. Soon all you'll have to do is give me a look and I'll be pushing you against a wall." Maul chuckled as he stripped off his tunic.

"Oh, that sounds fun." Obi-Wan used the Force to summon the objects needed to his hand as he turned back to Maul. Would a look like this work?"  he said, making a face he felt was too funny to be seductive.

"Nope, try something sexier."

"Kark, I thought I had it." He tossed the items onto the couch.

"You'll get it down eventually." Maul strode over to Obi-Wan and cupped his face, pulling him in for a long, heated kiss.

Humming into the kiss, the redhead slipped his arms around Maul's middle, hands sliding under his shirt.

Maul's hands fell down to the redhead's butt, pulling his hips forward. "How quickly do you want to go about this?"

"Hmm, maybe we go about things slow with a rough finish so we can have the best of both?" the human suggested, flicking his hands at a panel in the wall which dimmed the lights and started playing soft instrumental music.

"Sounds good to me." Maul smirked as the lights dimmed, his hands wandering over Obi-Wan's body.

"We also have the Force to experiment with this time." Obi-Wan hinted with a wicked grin. A suggestion he knew he'd never make if he was still a Jedi. Such frivolous misuse of the Force would have been greatly frowned upon, but it had been so long without him even remembering his Jedi teachings, that there was a rather large separation between who he was now and what he once believed.

"That is true. I wonder how creative we can get with the Force on our side. I may have a few tricks, since the Sith aren't so strict with misuse of the Force and all that weird whatnot." Maul waved his hand in a vague gesture.

"Remember experimenting?" Obi-Wan asked, pulling Maul's shirt off him.

"Maybe just a little…" Maul flexed a little once his shirt was off.

"Well, don't hesitate on doing so with me." Obi-Wan said, kissing Maul's bicep as he dropped the shirt to the floor.

"Then I won't hesitate at all," Maul said while moving to remove Obi-Wan's shirt.

Obi-Wan stretched a little, rolling his tattooed shoulder so that the rose design covering it stretched and shifted.

When the redhead's shirt was discarded to the floor, Maul pulled him back in for a kiss, hands running down his torso and resting at his hips.

"I'm so ready for you." Obi-Wan moaned into the kiss, leading him with it onto the couch where they could get down to the business of pleasure.

Maul pushed Obi-Wan down onto the couch, lining kisses down the pale chest of the redhead and leaving little bite marks as he went.

Moaning softly, Obi-Wan's fingers began to work Maul's pants open, his fingers pausing randomly to tease at sensitive areas around his hips.

Maul hardly bat an eyelash at what Obi-Wan was doing. He was preoccupied with doing the same things to the redhead, and he was doing so in a much more dominant manner. He was even so bold as to start using the Force to his advantage already, holding Obi-Wan in place as he touched pale skin with tattooed hands.

Obi-Wan moaned a little louder, rolling his hips up to grind against Maul's legs, when suddenly.

"Dada? Daddy?" Eliza's big yellow eyes were looking up at them as the toddler stood in her nighty, hugging one of her plush toys. Her red hair a mess of tangled curls around her stubby horns.

Maul quickly looked over at their daughter, eyes wide. "Sweetie… what are you doing out of bed?"

"Scary dream lady." She muttered, moving to climb up onto her fathers and curl up between them. She sat on Obi-Wan's stomach and looked up at maul with a curious gaze, "Why biting Daddy, Dada?"

Obi-Wan yipped in embarrassment; racking his brain for an innocent explanation.

Maul chuckled. "Just showing your daddy a little extra love. Don't worry, I'm not hurting him."

"Daddy making owy noises, though!"

Don't worry, Dada wasn't hurting me. I was just pretending he was. It's a silly game that daddies play—just daddies." Obi-Wan said, reaching up to ruffle her hair.

"Would you like some milk?" Maul asked the girl as he stood up from the couch.

The girl nodded.

Obi-Wan shifted so he could sit up, crossing his legs to hide his slowly softening erection before setting his daughter on his knee far from it, but close enough for her to feel comforted. "You said you had a scary dream?"

She nodded, "A scary lady in it. She was twying to hurt Dada and Daddy wif scary red glowy stick like dat big hairy man had when Dada home!"

Maul's hands stopped briefly while making Eliza's milk, but he quickly returned to working without looking disturbed. "I bet she'd be less scary if she were actually around. Besides, your daddies are strong, Princess. We won't go down without a good fight."

She shook her head, "She scary." Eliza reached out to take her sippy cup of milk.

"Well, even if she was scary, that doesn't mean she exists. It was just a dream you had, after all." Maul smiled and smoothed back her hair around her horns.

"But what if she real? What if she hurts Dada or Daddy?"

"Shh, it's okay, Eliza, my love." Obi-Wan soothed her, "We're safe and right here at home with you." He poked her nose.

"We're perfectly safe here," Maul reassured as he hugged both Obi-Wan and Eliza.

Sipping her milk, Eliza gave a little nod before flopping back against Obi-Wan's chest as she looked up at her fathers' faces, "I sleep in big bed wif Daddies?"

Maul looked at Obi-Wan, asking him with his eyes if they still wanted to have an intimate moment that night.

Obi-Wan glanced up at Maul before smiling down at their daughter, "Okay, you can sleep with us in our bed, but you need to go back to bed now and we'll join you when it's our bedtime."

"When I big, I get stay up longer with daddies?"

"When you're bigger, yes." He said, kissing the top of her head.

"Come on, I'll tuck you back in," Maul said as he stood up and grabbed Eliza's hand.

"Kay." She hopped down off Obi-Wan's lap and took Maul's hand, letting him lead her back into the apartment's single bedroom.

"I'll be right back," Maul told the redhead as he left the room with their child who was happier than she was before her milk.

It didn't take much longer for the zabrak to return childless and ready to continue, though he had to admit he was a bit worried about the dream Eliza had had. To him, it sounded more like a vision than a dream. He chose not to mention it, however, thinking it wouldn't come up any time soon.

"Maul, I don't think that was just a bad dream she had…I am prone to Force Visions, and she could have gotten the gift from me. Be careful." Obi-Wan sighed.

"I don't think it was a dream either," Maul sighed. "So I guess we need to watch our backs now."

"It seems we should go to Ilum sooner rather than later so we're ready if this 'scary lady' does show up."

"Yeah. We should probably take Eliza with us too. Who knows what will happen if the scary lady does exist."

"Of course we are taking her with us. She's our baby, and we are not leaving her behind with some babysitter for however long it'll take us to get kyber crystals."

Maul nodded. "You know… I think I know something that might help protect us in the long run. After we go to Illum, we should go to Dathomir. There's a woman there that could put a protection spell or something like it on us."

"Dathomir? Home planet of the Nightsisters? Maul, by all stories, they aren't exactly friendly to outsiders—or males…"

"There's a group of Zabraks who live there, they're actually my kin, some of them... But Mother Talzin could help us if we tell her the right things."

"And what things are right to tell her? Maul, even the Jedi are cautioned about the Nightsisters."

"I used to live with them, Obi-Wan. I know my way around their skills."

"I'm still unsure. What's stopping them from killing or cursing us on sight?"

"Well that's easy. Me."

"You? And why exactly..?" Obi-Wan prompted, hoping his lover would just tell him  what made him so confident so he'd feel better about going to such a dangerous place.

"Because they know me there. I grew up there for the most part. If I come, they know I mean business."

"The Nightsisters? Or the colony of Zabraks? I'm confused."

"Both. They live relatively in peace together. The Nightsisters obviously have their homes and the Zabraks have theirs, but neither of them really fight."

Obi-Wan sighed, "I feel like you're keeping something from me about this. I trust you, I do, but we'll have our Eliza with us…"

"Trust me." Maul grabbed Obi-Wan's hands and squeezed them. "This will work out. I promise."

"I suppose, but if I get cursed, I'll blame you."

"Fair enough, but you won't. I'll make sure of it."

Obi-Wan nodded and sighed, "I hope you're not wrong. But if we are going to your home planet…it'll be difficult to find any transport that would take us."

"I know… Maybe we can appeal to the royals here on Naboo. I know I might not be on their good side, but you could probably get us a ship."

"When I was a Jedi, one of my last missions was to help protect Queen Amidala…of course now she is a senator and not the queen. But maybe she can help?"

"Can't hurt to ask."

"Tomorrow I'll reach out to see if she will agree to speak with me, as well as calculate just how much I can afford to take for our trip out of my bakery's profit without risking the loss of the bakery." He decided, "But tonight…I know we had some cold water splashed on us to ruin the mood we had going, but we could see if we can spark the fire again?"

"If you're willing, I'm ready." Maul smiled, his hands moving down to the redhead's thighs and resting there.

Obi-Wan smiled and leaned in to kiss his lover and guide him back into the position they had been in when they were interrupted.

* * *

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

"Obi-Wan Kenobi? The Jedi, right?" Padmé looked at the message she had on here datapad. "I remember him, but that was years ago… I thought he died though." She looked up at one of the former handmaidens of the queen, Sabé.

Sabé shrugged, "A man claiming to be Obi-Wan Kenobi has requested a word with you, that's all I know. I honestly don't remember what the Jedi looked like as I was too busy pretending to be you." She grinned. "But he went through security. No weapons found on him, and he clearly isn't wearing the Jedi standard. He looks more like a citizen of Naboo by the way he's dressed."

"Odd… Well, I guess there's no harm in speaking to him, right?"

"He seems harmless enough. But just in case, want me to stick around after showing him in?"

"To be safe, yes please."

"Got a blaster hidden in my skirts, one wrong move and he'll be down begging for mercy and a medic."

Padmé chuckled and put a hand on Sabé's shoulder. "Thank you, you're so ready to attack anyone who wants to harm me."

"Well, why wouldn't I want to protect you, My Lady?" Sabé asked with a gentle smile. She then kissed Padmé's cheek before pulling away, "I'll show Mister Kenobi in now."

Padmé nodded and sat in wait for Obi-Wan to come talk to her. She had to admit, she was skeptical that it was really him, since she had heard he fell down that shaft so many years ago. But if he was requesting to talk to her, perhaps there was something bigger going on that she had no clue about.

It didn't take long before Sabé returned with a man supporting long red hair and piercing blue eyes, and just as Sabé had said, he looked more like a citizen than a visiting Jedi.

The man smiled when he stood a respectful distance away from her and he bowed gracefully, "Senator Amidala, I do not know if you remember me, but I thank you for seeing me despite your busy schedule."

"It really is you… I thought you died, Obi-Wan." Padmé stood up and moved over to the redhead. "How are you?"

"My former Master just assumed I had died and didn't bother looking for me." Obi-Wan said with a touch of bitterness before he continued on to explain; "But I survived, and the wonderful healers here in Theed not only saved my life, but also gave me a spinal implant so that I wouldn't be paralyzed for the rest of my life. I also had a case of amnesia so I ended up settling down here and started a family and a little bakery out of my home. I only recently regained my memories from before the accident when Qui-Gon and his new padawan happened to stop by my bakery and were able to help me remember."

"You've been here on Naboo the whole time? And he never thought to come look for you? That's really sad, Obi-Wan." Padmé shook her head. "But it's in the past now I suppose, right? Your family is doing well after regaining your memory?"

"My fiancé and I are quite happy here raising our daughter, however, after regaining memories and use of the Force…" he sighed, "This may sound crazy to someone unable to use the Force, but we sense danger will be targeted at our little family. My daughter even had a vision of it. I no longer have my old lightsaber so to be ready to protect my family, I want to make a new one. However, I'm afraid some of the planets we will have to go to, to get what we need includes one that many spacers avoid getting close to. We wouldn't be able to afford the price of travel if we are lucky enough to find someone willing to take us, and I know this is a huge favor, and I will be in your debt if you agree, but I'll offer you anything I can if you could lend us use of a ship. Please, Senator, Help me protect my family." He pleaded, lowering to his knees.

Padmé's eyes went wide as the redhead got down on his knees. "Obi-Wan, please get up… I would love to help you, I really would. However, I'm not the queen anymore. I can't just request to take a ship and leave… But if your family is on the line, I can try to appeal to the current queen. She is kind, but she's not as understanding about matters dealing with the lower classes."

"I understand, but any help is very appreciated, and I will pay you and the queen back somehow for your help. Protection or maybe I can supply you with all the baked goods needed for some social event?" he promised as he pushed himself up.

"Having sweets catered for an event does sound promising." Padmé smiled and nodded. "I will let the queen know of your offer and your situation. I'm sure she'll be willing to help if she gets free sweets in the end."

"Thank you." He took out a piece of filmsi that his daughter had doodled on, but also had his address and contact information written on it. "You can find me here. I included my address should you wish to get a free sample when you have news for me. My bakery is well known in the area, so if you need directions just about anyone can point you in the right direction."

Padmé nodded. "I will contact you as soon as the queen has made a decision. We may contact you in the future for catering as well, even if she ends up deciding to not help, which of course I hope will not be the case."

"Thank you. This truly means a lot to my family and I." He bowed his head in gratitude, "I won't take up any more of your time, Milady."

Padmé bowed back. "Best of luck to your family, Obi-Wan. Also, when you go to build a new lightsaber, I want to see it. It's been a while since I've seen one in person."

"Of course. You are always welcome to visit my home and bakery. I'm sure my daughter would love to meet you, even if she's too young to know who you are, your sense of style is like the story princesses she adores." He grinned.

"She'd basically get to be with someone who was royalty. I'm sure she'd go nuts over me."

"Her new best friend." He laughed as he moved to the door. "Her name's Eliza."

"What a cute name. I'll definitely have to stop by at some point."

"I look forward to it. And thank you again." He said before slipping out to leave.

"Well, that was an interesting conversation." Sabé said once he was gone.

"Yes it was… but I'm glad to see that Obi-Wan isn't actually dead." Padmé sighed and looked at the flimsi. "Well, it looks like I have to speak with the queen now."

"That shouldn't be too bad, she does like and look up to you." Sabé said, looking at the childish scribbles with a smile, "And maybe Eliza will one day be elected queen."

Padmé smiled. "Perhaps. She might be the best queen Naboo will have. Who knows."

"We can only wait and see. But for now, we have the current queen to request an audience with. I'll put in the call to Theed Palace."

 

* * *

 

Maul looked up from playing with Eliza on the floor as Obi-Wan walked back into their home. "How did it go? Do we have a ship?"

"Maybe." Obi-Wan slipped out of his boots and placed them next to Maul's, "The Senator said she will see what she can do, and will contact me later." He padded over to drop himself in Maul's lap.

"So we have to wait to get a call from her?" Maul sighed and rested his head on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "The longer we have to wait, the easier targets we are."

"I know, but she isn't queen anymore. She's taking my plea for help to the current queen. I guess the ships she uses aren't privately owned by her family, but rather the government."

"I guess that makes sense. Hopefully we get a response soon."

Obi-Wan nodded, "We can only wait right now."

"Waiting is always the hard part."

"So how was your day?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Well, I've been playing with little Eliza here for most of the day, so I'd say I've had a pretty good day."

"Dada got out finger paints!" their daughter pipped up, "Gotta wait for drying time before can hang up though."

"We may have gone a little wild on the paints," Maul admitted while glancing at the kitchen. "But at least no paint got on your baking supplies."

"As long as you cleaned up everything, it's fine." Obi-Wan smiled, "You'll have to show me what you painted when they are all dry!" he added as he looked at their daughter.

She grinned and nodded.

"We took some inspiration from your pastries," Maul added. "Then we may have eaten a few."

"From the remnants jar or from my display?" Obi-Wan questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah…" Maul smiled at the redhead.

"From the display?" he crossed his arms, "Those are for selling to customers, remember?"

"I know, but they just looked so good in the moment. We only took one, and we split it."

"Still naughty of you, Maul. You know better." Obi-Wan scolded, tapping his nose.

"Hey, I wasn't going to say no when Eliza picked out one of the colorful pastries behind the glass."

"Don't go blaming this on her. You're the adult." Obi-Wan smirked, "But I think this means it's your night to cook dinner."

Maul shrugged. "Fair enough. What are you in the mood for?"

The human grinned, "I'm sure you'll think of something I like." He said, standing up and picking up Eliza. "Come on, time for your bath."

"Awwww but I no wanna bath!" the girl whined.

"I'll add the pink bubbles." Obi-Wan said.

"…kay…" she pouted stubbornly.

Maul stood up with a small groan and nodded. "Okay… I'll think of something I guess…"

"I'm sure it'll be perfect." Obi-Wan hummed as he disappeared into the refresher to draw Eliza's bath.

"Maybe not as perfect as if you made it, but I'll try my best," Maul commented as he started to gather ingredients.

 

* * *

 

"Do you work this morning?" Obi-Wan asked sleepily as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and considered pushing himself up off his soft pillow.

"Can I say no if I don't want to?" Maul wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and curled up around him.

"No, but I ask because if we want to take Eliza with us off-planet, she will need her vaccinations for traveling off-planet. We don't want her to get sick, and I was hoping you could take her."

"I can take her, yeah. I'll call in sick for work," Maul said as he sat up and yawned.

"Are you sure? I can do it as the bakery runs on my schedule, but I usually take her to her checkups and appointments, and she cries a lot when she needs injections."

"Unless you suddenly decided you want to take her, I'm fine with taking her to get her vaccinations."

"I don't like seeing her cry." Obi-Wan flushed, finally pushing himself up.

"Ah, in that case, I can take her. I know it's tough to see her cry." Maul leaned back down and kissed Obi-Wan's cheek.

"Thank you." He smiled and kissed him back before looking over at their daughter's little bed where she was curled up with her plush toys. "We'll let her sleep in as much as she wants today."

"Maybe we should take advantage of that and sleep in as well," the Zabrak suggested while grabbing a data pad to type out a message to send to his boss.

"I'm already awake and feeling the urge to use the refresher." Obi-Wan sighed, "Otherwise I would never leave this bed."

"Mind if I join you in the refresher then?"

"As long as you don't mind I won't be showering first. First priority is emptying my bladder." The redhead stated bluntly.

"I'll get the shower warned up for you."

"Will you be joining me in it?" Obi-Wan asked, getting up and stretching.

"The offer is there, yeah."

"Well, then I accept." Obi-Wan said as he quietly walked to the refresher.

"Great, I'll get the water warm for you then." Maul got out of the bed and followed Obi-Wan just as quietly to the refresher.

"Thank you." He smiled.

After the couple washed up and got ready for the day, Obi-Wan made breakfast, just in time for the sound of sleepy little feet padding out of the bedroom; a mess of curls rubbing her eyes before she flopped over Maul's lap and curled up.

Maul chuckled and smoothed back some of Eliza's hair. "Hey there, sunshine. Are you hungry?"

She nodded, "Dada play day?"

"For the most part, yes. We may go get some treats later on, but we have some things to go do first, okay?"

"Treats?" the little girl lit up, some of her sleepiness evaporating.

"Yep. But only after we run our errands. Work before play, remember that." Maul gently tapped her nose.

"Work…toy pick up time?" she asked.

"Not quite." Obi-Wan chuckled, "Come on, you two, I made flatcakes."

"Yay!" Eliza slipped off Maul's lap and ran to the table so she could be hoisted up into her highchair.

"We have a very hungry daughter," Maul said to Obi-Wan as he picked Eliza up and put her in her highchair.

"Who has a special fondness for flatcakes." Obi-Wan agreed, placing a plate in front of her. "Don't get too sticky, you just had a bath last night." He chuckled, kissing the top of her head before getting a plate for Maul and himself.

"Yeah, we need to be clean for when we leave home for the day." Maul smiled at his daughter before looking up at Obi-Wan coming with plates of their own breakfast.

After breakfast, Obi-Wan helped Eliza get dressed and washed up, her hair pulled up in tails before he kissed them goodbye and got to work on the dishes before opening the bakery for the day.

The day went on and customers came and went in the bakery. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. It was simply another day for the bakery, and it almost made it through the rest of the day with no incidents.

Then everything went to hell so quickly. There had been little warning, save for the sudden amount of screaming coming from customers as they watched in horror at a woman aiming a blaster at the windows and shooting the transparasteel to pieces, sending customers to the floor and covering their faces.

"What?!" Obi-Wan dropped the cake he had been about to put in the oven, batter splashing all over the floor and his pants, "Get away from the windows!" he shouted, pulling a child back behind the counter for safety.

And than his heart skipped as he spotted a familiar object pass through the window—a thermal detonator which rolled across the floor before disappearing under the couch.

"GET OUT! EVERYONE!" He screamed, hoisting the child over his shoulder and running for the door. He was the last one out, and only a few steps away from the door when the detonator exploded, destroying his home and knocking him out.

Screams and cries filled the air, the child in Obi-Wan's arms crying very loudly for his mother, clearly very scared and confused. More people scrambled away for safety in case another detonator went off, only adding to the chaos of the situation.

 

* * *

 

"Angry clouds." Eliza said suddenly as she enjoyed the frozen treat Maul had gotten her after her appointment. The treat did well to clear up the tears from having to be poked.

Maul looked at his daughter, confused until he shifted to look where she was looking. Rising high into the sky, black smoke started to block out the sunlight, making Maul's eyes widen. The smoke came from the direction of their home, but surely their home wasn't the source...

"I think we should go home now, what do you think?"

"Can Daddy have treats too?" she asked innocently, "I think Daddy likes treats!"

"He does... But he makes his own treats. I think he would be able to skip on the treats we had today."

"Daddy make cookies, not cold treats!" she protested

"I know, but both treats have lots of sugar, so if he every wants some, he's got an almost unlimited amount to eat."

"I wanna share!" she huffed cutely.

Maul sighed. "I know you do... Let's just go home, okay? I'm sure Daddy will be happy to see us."

She nodded, "I share treats wif Daddy!"

"Yeah..." Maul picked up his daughter, looked nervously towards the smoke, then headed to the speeder he and Eliza had taken. He hoped that the Force had protected Obi-Wan, just like it had protected him from the fall years ago, but the Force worked in ways that not even Force users understood. He just hoped the Force hadn't planned to leave Maul without Obi-Wan for the rest of his life.

As they drew closer, the streets became congested with traffic and pedestrians who were curious as to what was happening. Flashing lights of the authorities and emergancy responders could be seen ahead and where their apartment complex should have been was only a pile of rubble and smoke curling up into the sky.

"Dada?" Eliza had noticed the lack of their home from her youngling seat, and she was getting antsy.

Maul looked back at his daughter. "Don't worry. It's not as bad as it looks…"

"House bye-bye… Daddy bye-bye?" she was starting to tear up.

"No, Daddy is still here!" Maul rushed to get out and pick her up, holding her close. "Daddy is still around, we just have to find him..."

Eliza's frozen treat fell to the ground as she was picked up, but she didn't seem to care as she sniffled and clung to Maul's shirt.

"Let's go find Daddy." Maul wandered around, trying to find an officer or other official who might have known what happened. One told him the idea of what happened, another told him a number of casualties, and neither bits of information were helping him feel that Obi-Wan survived somehow.

Finally, he spotted a mobile emergency medical station with droids busily patching up injuries. Towards the far and of the set-up a head of red hair laying on a hover gurney could be spotted.

"Oh Force…" Maul hurried over to the familiar red hair, careful to keep Eliza from seeing Obi-Wan in case the worst had happened.

"Sir, if you are not one of the injured, you can not be in this area." A medical droid called out to him.

"This is my partner," Maul defended. "I should have the right to see him."

"If you are not inj—"

Obi-Wan's voice interrupted the droid's insistence, "These two are my family. Please allow them to stay. They won't get in the way."

The droid paused before responding, "Very well. Do not get in the way."

Maul turned so Eliza could see Obi-Wan. "There, see? Daddy is still here."

"Daddy sleepy?"

Obi-Wan gave a weak smile, "Daddy has a little boo-boo."

Eliza looked up at Maul and tugged the collar of his shirt, "Kiss make better Daddy's boo-boo!" she pointed.

"You think kisses will help Daddy?" Maul smiled at their daughter. "Well if you insist." He leaned down and gently kissed Obi-Wan to make Eliza happy.

Obi-Wan gave a small smile. "Thank you. That will definitely help my boo-boo go away faster. Good idea, Eliza, you're so smart."

The little girl grinned.

"Are you okay?" Maul asked Obi-Wan, switching to a more concerned tone. "What happened?"

"It wasn't a baking accident, don't worry." Obi-Wan chuckled before sighing as he held still when the droid ran a scan over him. "I was about to put a cake in the oven as customers were browsing the selection I had out when suddenly shots shattered a window and a thermal detonator was tossed in and rolled across the floor. We all ran, but I wasn't far enough away to clear the blast radius. The shockwave knocked me out and did some damage to my spinal implant. That's what they are checking right now to see if it can be fixed or if I'll have to get it replaced. Hopefully it can be fixed and I can walk away rather than be transferred for surgery. Other than that, I have a nasty headache."

"Obi-Wan…" Maul sighed and grabbed one of Obi-Wan's hands. "This was not how I wanted today to go."

"I survived to be with you two, that's what matters." Obi-Wan smiled.

"Your implant can be mended. Stay still, you will feel a series of pinches along your spine." The droid reported.

"Oh thank the Force. No surgery or recovery time having to relearn to walk again." The redhead sighed.

"Good. I think we need to get off this rock as soon as possible."

"Good thing I can help with that." A voice spoke up nearby. Walking towards the two, Padmé strolled up with a smile and a data pad in hand. "You ended up with this guy, Obi-Wan? Interesting. I guess the Force had a fun plan for you two."

"Nice to see you, Senator. Though I had hoped I would be able to offer you a cupcake or something." Obi-Wan chuckled before he flinched due to the droid working on his back.

"Oooo pretty pwincess dress!" Eliza said.

"Well hello, little lady!" Padmé cooed over the young girl before turning her attention back to Obi-Wan. "No worries about the cupcakes, you can make me one after we travel. I managed to snatch a ship that's fast and luxurious, so we can get to wherever you need to get as quick as possible."

"Thank you, you really are a lifesaver."

"It looks like I quite literally am. As soon as you're done here, we can head over to the ship. I'm sorry you no longer have things to bring with you though…"

"We have our lives. With that we will be able to rebuild what we had slowly once we are able to return to Naboo."

Padmé nodded. "I will help replace anything you need to keep running your business and live a comfortable life. It's the least I can do while you live here on Naboo."

"It'd be greatly appreciated," Maul said.

"I'd ask to hug you for your generosity, but I'm a bit stuck here for a bit." Obi-Wan smirked.

"Yes, you heal up, and when you and your family are ready, meet me at the royal hangar. I'll make sure you have access to get in."

"Thank you, Senator. _Ah_!" he gasped in surprise at a pinch that was more painful that the others.

"Take it easy, and I will see you soon." Padmé waved as she left to prepare the ship they were to take.

"So, I guess we're going to Illum," Maul said.

"And then Dathomir, and then hopefully home to rebuild."

* * *

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright, guys, we're here on Illum. It's cold out there, so bundle up with the coats you were given." Padmé parked the ship near the cave both Force users would have to go into to get their new crystals.

Eliza was pressed against the viewport, creating finger and nose smudges on the transparasteel. She had been scared of space travel at first, but had gotten used to it and loved watching the stars as they traveled.

"Dada! Daddy! Look! Outside is sparkly!"

Obi-Wan chuckled and kissed the top of her head, "Yes, but it's also cold, so if Senator Padmé takes you out to play in it, you remember to wear your warm mittens and hat, okay?"

"You mean Pwincess Padmé! She Pwincess cuz she has lots of pretty dresses!"

Padmé chuckled. "Well, I used to be a queen, so that's pretty close to a princess. But we will wear our warmest clothes if we go outside," she promised.

"Good, we wouldn't want our little girl getting sick because she was having fun." Maul smiled as he grabbed his coat and threw it on over his body, bundling up tightly so he wouldn't have to feel the bitter cold of Illum.

Obi-Wan also grabbed his coat and pulled it on. "Behave for Princess Padmé." He chuckled, "DaDa and I will be back as soon as we can."

Outside the ship, a bitter wind blew around the two men as they made their way into the cave. The wind didn't stop until they were several meters into the cave, and the lack of wind was greatly welcomed. Inside the cave, seemingly thousands of crystals lit up the walls and floors, mostly glowing blue and green, occasionally purple, as well as other rare colors.

"Well… I never went through this process when I was a Sith," Maul said, his voice echoing for quite a while in the large room with a tall ceiling the two had walked into. "But we just let the Force guide us, right?"

"Yes. The crystal chooses us, we don't choose it." Obi-Wan nodded, "Normally we are presented with a challenge that the Force feels we must learn from on order to find our crystal. Until we find our challenge, we'll wander at random, and we may be separated from each other in the process."

Maul nodded. "Well, if we must wander for a bit, care to hold my hand while we do so?"

"Don't mind if I do." Obi-Wan smiled, taking Maul's hand as they started deeper into the cave.

The cave was filled with the echoes of their footsteps and the howling wind outside. A few cave critters scurried about, stopping to glance at the couple before running away to hide. There was a special feel about the cave that truly made it feel like one could reach out in any direction and physically touch the Force.

Before long, Maul felt himself compelled to stray away from Obi-Wan. As much as he hated to do so, the Force was undoubtedly calling him in a different direction than the path Obi-Wan was to take. "I think we have to part ways here," he mumbled. "Unless the Force is telling you to go into this tunnel." He pointed to the tunnel he spoke of.

"It isn't." Obi-Wan glanced ahead in the direction he was being urged to go by the Force. "We'll meet back at the entrance of the cave." He said, looking back at Maul and kissing him before he pulled away, "May the Force guide you true."

"Yeah, you too…" Maul watched Obi-Wan go his own direction before turning to the tunnel and heading down the path that was lit less than the main room of the cave.

The further he went, the less blue and green crystals he saw, and he started to see a few specks of gold here and there. More rocky shelves began to jut out into the walkway, a challenge to get around some of them, but they weren't the challenge that the Force was giving to Maul. He wasn't quite sure of his challenge yet, but he was sure that he was going to hit a dead end or something similar to it. Just as soon as he was around the last large shelf, Maul entered into a small chamber that was filled with glowing crystals. There were too many for him to count, but none of them really called out to him. There was still a challenge waiting for him, but he didn't know what, so he sat down in the middle of the chamber and started to meditate, something he didn't often do, even as a Sith.

Alone with his thoughts and the Force, Maul sat there and waited until the Force revealed to him his challenge.

 

* * *

 

 

Elsewhere in the cave, Obi-Wan followed his path, finding himself at a dead end when it came to walking. Looking up, he found that it did continue on, but he would have to climb up the wall and squeeze himself through a tight gap to get to where he felt he needed to go.

Of course. With the condition of his back, he was always cautious about how he moved in fear of breaking his implant and being left helpless and paralyzed again. It had become a great fear of his that had stopped him from taking part in some fun activities outside the home. Especially if Maul wasn't with him to get him the help he needed should something happen. 

And now he was completely alone and facing a physical challenge that intimidated him greatly. If he were to slip and fall, he could do damage that even an implant couldn't fix, especially after the blast that had taken him out on Naboo. He'd put on a brave face for Maul and Eliza after the destruction of their home, but he had been terrified of never moving again once he realized that his implant had been damaged and he had been unable to move for the second time in his life.

He tightened his coat's hood around his head to keep his hair from getting into his face before he started to climb, slowly, carefully, hoping the Force guided him safely up the climb much higher than he liked.

 

* * *

 

 

It felt like forever before Maul finally opened his eyes and looked up at a small creature staring at him. He tilted his head at it, and it tilted its head back. Before the fall on Naboo, Maul might have obliterated the creature with his lightsaber before, seeing it as a simple annoyance to his presence. Now, he considered the creature with curiosity and a sense of calm that the Zabrak rarely had, even after mellowing out after the fall.

"What do you need?" he asked the creature out loud.

Sniffing the air, the creature hopped onto its back legs and squeaked a couple times. Suddenly a multitude of the creatures filled the room, surrounding Maul and squeaking at him. The noise got annoying very fast, but instead of getting angry, Maul simply watched until the creature that had originally approached him crawled up the wall and looked back at him. It disappeared through a crack in the ice that was just large enough for Maul to slip through. Feeling he was supposed to go to the other side, Maul stood up and took a running leap towards the crack, crawling through with ease and dropping down to the ground below where the creature waited for him.

"Okay, I went through the crack. Show me where I should go next."

 

* * *

 

 

Obi-Wan was breathing hard, his back aching as he continued upwards. His footing had slipped a few times, but he had caught himself and continued on. He reached the tight squeeze and forced himself forward, the pressure on his back  making him give out little grunts of pain as tears gathered and blurred his vision. He could only pause and blink them away so he could continue on with being able to see where he was placing his hands and feet.

But finally, after long last, he reached the top and pulled himself onto the platform, laying there with aching muscles and a screaming spine that greatly protested any further movements.

Once he caught his breath he turned his head to look around. The area was brightly lit with sunlight that filtered in through the ice that made up the walls and ceiling, making everything seem to sparkle and glow. In the center of the room was a stalagmite made of ice, and encased in the ice was a single glowing crystal that called out to him.

Pushing himself up, he walked over to it, running his gloved hands over the ice before he gripped it and broke it off. Instantly, the ice in his hand melted away, leaving the purple crystal in his palm.

"Well hello there." He smiled at it before tucking it safely away in his pouch and looking around further. He could see another way out that wasn't such a perilous drop, but a slope of ice that looked like he could just slide down. He stepped towards it eagerly, despite the worry he had that it'd result in him permanently damaging his spine.

 

* * *

 

 

Maul was nearly running after the creature now. He wasn't sure what kind of test this was that the Force was putting him through, but he had an idea it was making him think more like a Jedi than a Sith. He had no problems with that, though he didn't' have the interest in becoming either after becoming Obi-Wan's partner and having a child with him. Regardless, he still needed a lightsaber to protect himself and his family, and he hoped the Force understood his need.

Finally the creature stopped and barked up at another wall in the way. However, this wall was different than ones previous. It had a sort of transparency to it, looking like one could see what was on the other side.

Approaching the wall slowly, Maul reached out his hand, pressing it against the ice. It felt oddly warm and cold at the same time despite the fact he wore gloves. It reminded Maul of the mindset a Sith had. He paused, looking at his reflection and pulling away from the ice when he saw what looked like himself without tattooed skin. Confused, Maul approached the ice again and looked harder at his reflection. His true appearance seemed to be reflected smaller than the strange version of himself.

The creature crawled up onto the wall and stopped in front of Maul, preventing him from seeing his reflection. He blinked and reached out to pet the creature. It started to glow with his touch, and along with the glow, the creature started heating up, melting the ice until there was a hole big enough for it to crawl through. On the other side of the hole was a crystal embedded into a wall that wasn't much further past the clearing ice wall. He tried reaching his arm through the hole to grab the crystal, but his fingers were just shy of reaching it. Huffing, he pulled his arm back out and stared at the crystal. Again and again he tried to reach the crystal, even using the Force to crack the ice wall just a bit, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the crystal.

"Maybe I wasn't meant for this," Maul sighed as he leaned against the ice wall with his back and slid down to the floor. "Obi-Wan is more connected to the Force for this kind of stuff. I'm not fit for it…"

After sitting for a bit, a sharp barking came from above Maul. He looked up, finding the creature staring down at him with intense eyes.

"You made the hole," Maul said. "Can you make it bigger?"

The creature just stared back.

A cold chill came over Maul, and he shivered, looking around the room until he gaze settled back on the creature above him. Something in his gut told him to wait, watch the creature and trust it to help him. So there maul sat, waiting and watching, building a connection to that creature until it disappeared behind the ice wall once more. A few minutes passed, and the ice next to Maul's hips started to get warm and melt. Soon, the creature popped out, crystal in its mouth as it crawled into Maul's lap and dropped the golden crystal into his hand.

"Well, aren't you the helpful one?" Maul smiled and pet the creature, chuckling as it crawled up to his shoulder and sat there.

Maul stood up and looked around the room for an exit. To the left of him, an oddly convenient set of stairs sat waiting for him. "Guess I have to learn to trust others more often when I need help," the Zabrak said as the took the stairs down, which led him back to the entrance of the cave.

 

* * *

 

 

As Maul stood near the cave entrance, waiting for Obi-Wan, the human in question shot out a hole in the ceiling and fell right on top of Maul.

"Unf…" Obi-Wan groaned, rolling off his lover, "Sorry, didn't see you before I was already on you."

Maul chuckled, standing up and helping the redhead up at his feet. "Well, at least we finished around the same time."

"And I got a ride down a crazy ice slide that Eliza would have been crazy about." Obi-Wan chuckled. "Speaking of our little princess, let's get back to the ship and warm up."

"That's a great idea." Maul and Obi-Wan headed back to the ship, crystals in tow and connections to the Force revitalized.

Arriving at the ship, the two lovers suddenly were hit with snowballs, a little voice giggling from behind a mound of snow.

Maul sputtered out snow with a surprised expression as he looked towards the mound. He then laughed and made a snowball himself and tossed it with an arc that hit the target hiding behind the mound.

"Eeap!" the voice giggled.

"Well, they returned fire." Padme said.

"GET THE DADDIES!" Eliza said in an adorable war cry before the two girls stood up and started throwing their stockpile of snowballs at the two.

Obi-Wan laughed and dodged behind another mound of snow, making up a few snowballs to return fire.

"Taking heavy fire," Maul said as he dodged behind the same snow mound Obi-Wan had hidden behind. "We need a battle strategy."

"And more ammo!" Obi-Wan grinned as he formed more balls of white, "The girls have the advantage with their surprise attack!"

Eliza giggled.

"You guys were taking too long," Padmé tried to use as an excuse.

"We took precisely as much time as the Force meant us to take!" Obi-Wan laughed.

"Well, how about this for taking too long?" Maul stood up from behind the snow mound and raised his hands in the air. Hundreds of snowballs formed and rose to floated gently in the air.

"Maul! That's cheating!" Obi-Wan gasped, only to have his words drowned out by an excited Eliza.

"WHOA!" The little girl ran through the snow, looking up at the floating balls of snow. "Dada! I learn! I learn!" she hopped excitedly.

"Well, you might be too little to do something this big… but maybe you can float one snowball." Maul set down all the snowballs gently except for one which he had land in Eliza's hands. "Focus on the snowball. Imagine it floating in your head."

"Hmmmm!" She plopped down, sitting in the snow as she stared at the ball, her tongue poking out the corner of her mouth.

Maul chuckled. "Try closing your eyes. It might help you focus better."

She looked up at him, "But Dada no closed eyes. Dada just!" she raised both her arms up, and a few smaller snowballs on the ground wiggled.

Surprised, Maul looked at the smaller snowballs. "Do that again, but concentrate on it this time."

"She tilted her head and did as he suggested, making a little grunt as she tried to imagine snowballs in the air. This time the smaller balls lifted off the ground a few inches before they dropped back down and she let out a breath as if she had been holding it.

"You did it, baby!" Maul threw his hands out with a wide smile on his face. "You can use the Force!"

She giggled and ran to hug him. She didn't understand what the Force was, but her father was excited, so she was happy.

Obi-Wan chuckled, "Seems the Force is very strong with her if she can lift more than one at a time this early and without any proper training before this. We'll have to train her a little each day for now on. But for now, the cold's getting to me. How about we go inside and make some nice hot coco?"

"Oooo, yummy!" Eliza grinned.

"Another great idea, Obi-Wan." Maul stood up with Eliza in his arms and headed back to the ship.

"Dada…put down." The girl suddenly said right before he stepped onto the ramp to return into the ship, her gaze locked on an area of snow behind them.

"Hm?" Maul set her down, not thinking of possible consequences from setting her down.

As soon as her feet touched the ground she ran off, ducking past Obi-Wan who was in her path. Then she stopped and dropped to her knees, starting to dig in the snow like an akk dog would. Then she stopped and reached into the hole and pulled something out, looking at it before turning and running back to her fathers and Padmé who all were watching her.

"Glowy rock!" she said, holding up a kyber crystal, "Can I keep?"

"A kyber crystal? Already?" Maul looked up at the sky. "You've got some plan, don't you?" he asked the Force.

"Of course you can keep it. Do you want me to make it a necklace so you can wear it?" Obi-Wan smiled down at her.

"Yes!" she hopped. "It pretty!"

"Well, it seems we have a lot on our hands, now that the Force has given us a child that's strongly Force sensitive. Come, let's get going so we have a home to settle down in and go through this at our own speed." Maul gestured for his family and Padmé to get back on the ship where it would be considerably warmer than it was in the snow.

The little girl followed, grinning down at her found treasure glowing green in her mittened hands.

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

"What do you feel most comfortable with, Padmé?" Obi-Wan asked as he viewed Dathomir out the viewport. Their travels with the Senator had given them a chance to grow to be good friends and made him comfortable with using her first name without a title. "It is potentially dangerous planet-side, though Maul is confident that we'll be fine as he was born there. We could land the ship or you can stay up here and Maul and I can take the shuttle down."

"I'm fine with landing the ship, Obi," Padmé replied. "I know how to fly a ship out of here before danger hits. It's just like Tatooine all over again…"

"My memory of my Jedi past isn't perfect. There are some gaps in it, but I'll trust your judgment on this. You are a woman of many talents, and you lack no bravery, it seems." He chuckled, "I admit I'm nervous about this part of the trip."

"I am a little as well, but Maul seems to know his way around here, so I'm not too worried. I'm sure you'll be fine," she reassured.

"I hope so, he wants us to take our daughter this time. I know I'll be keeping her held close the entire time once we land."

"I'm sure there won't be a problem. Trust him, trust the Force, and you'll be fine."

"I know, but I can't help but be a little overprotective of our little princess."

"I know, that's just how you are." Padmé chuckled as she brought the ship into Dathomir's atmosphere.

"Daddy!" Eliza said, rushing into the cockpit as the door opened to allow her and Maul to enter, "Is this one gonna be snowy fun, too?" she asked, climbing into his lap, "Dada say no but wanna make sure!"

Obi-Wan chuckled, hugging her close, "Dada would know better. I've never been here before, but this is his home planet."

Her head tilted, "Naboo home…"

"Yeah, Naboo is your home planet. This is mine," Maul said. "Sadly there's no snow, but it stays kind of dark all the time here."

"Then when breakfast time?" she asked, looking over Obi-Wan's shoulder at him.

"Whenever the dark starts to get not so dark. If you can see your hand in front of you without using a light, it's daytime."

"What?" she looked at her hand.

Obi-Wan chuckled, "You'll see soon enough, Eliza."

The ship landed gently on the ground, and Padmé looked back at the small family. "Alright, be safe out there, guys. I'll be here if you need anything. Just comm me."

"I have you on speed-contact." Obi-Wan nodded, standing up and shifting Eliza to be on his hip.

"Come on, Mother Talzin will be waiting for us," Maul said while exiting the ship. "She probably knew we were coming before we left Naboo. She's powerful, so I'm sure she can help us."

"The leader of the Nightsisters?" Obi-Wan asked, following Maul closely, "I assumed we'd be going to see the tribe of men."

"Well, they might be able to help us to some degree, but Mother Talzin will help us far more than they could. Of course, that's only if she decides to help us."

"I trust you. I've only heard stories about her and the Nightsisters." Obi-Wan said, reaching up to pull Eliza's hood over her head before they stepped out of the ship.

The girl giggled, "Daddy!" It not rainy!"

"It may not be rainy, but your hood will keep you safe," Maul said. "Make sure you keep it on."

She blinked then leaned over Obi-Wan's shoulder to pull his hood up as well, then pointed at Maul, prompting her human father to push Maul's hood up.

"Safe daddies!"

"Keep the bad guys away," Maul said as he pat his daughter's head.

"Yeah!" she giggled.

"Which way do we go?" Obi-Wan asked, looking around.

"I believe the Nightsisters are this way." Maul started walking in one direction, pulling his hood more around his face as they walked. He knew they were being watched by hundreds of eyes, but he didn't let his own eyes wander too much, for fear of looking into the eyes of a creature he wasn't prepared to fight.

"Come on, let's follow Dada and keep close." Obi-Wan whispered to their daughter, following after Maul. Eliza nodded and put a finger to her lips.

"I be good."

They traveled in silence deeper into the wooded area surrounding where they had landed the ship.

"Dada…ladies around us." Eliza said suddenly, her cheek resting on Obi-Wan's shoulder, having grown drowsy in their travel on foot.

Obi-Wan stopped walking, looking at her. She could tell that much? He knew they were surrounded, but he thought it was still just native creatures.

"Just keep walking and they won't bother us," Maul said, knowing for sure that the night sisters were watching them.

"You speak as if you know us so well. Why have you come here?" an airy voice hissed from somewhere in the darkness of the trees surrounding them.

Maul looked around with a slightly surprised expression. "We came for Mother Talzin... We need her help."

"And why," a tall, pale Dathomirian with grey markings on her face stepped out of the shadows holding an energy bow, "would she help you?"

"I was born here. I would hope we would at least get to see her."

"Anyone can see her. It is the leaving that comes into question. Even for a Nightbrother, if you are one. Are you sure you don't wish to turn back? This is your only chance."

"I'm sure. We need to see her."

She eyed him, and then Obi-Wan behind him before nodding, "Very well. Follow me."

"Thank you," Maul said as led his family to follow the Nightsister.

The Nightsister lead them through the Forest, many other sisters traveling along in the shadows, keeping the two men and child surrounded. Finally they entered a fortress, and the sisters closed in on them, herding them farther inside with their weapons drawn.

They reached a center circle with a door to a large tower on one side. Obi-Wan was told to kneel, which he gave no protest to, as Maul was pushed further to the door to face the woman he came to see.

"Wait here." The Nightsister who had lead them said before slipping inside the tower.

Maul waited patiently for the Nightsister to return. He glanced back at Obi-Wan and Eliza, mentally noting that they weren't harmed yet, which was a possible good sign.

After a short wait, the Nightsister returned alongside the woman who could only be Mother Talzin, tall and proud in the red robes of the clan's leader. She approached Maul, looking down at him as she was taller, and reached out to tilt his chin up, allowing his hood to fall back off his horned head.

"You have returned at last."

"I have, and I come with a proposition," Maul said as he looked up at her.

She raised her brow, "And here I thought you were finally coming home properly after escaping that man who stole you away from me, my son."

"Son?" Maul's eyes went wide. "I'm not actually your son, am I?"

"Did that Sith never even tell you of your own mother? Oh my child." She pulled him rather awkwardly, yet warmly into a hug.

Maul wasn't sure how to react, so he stood awkwardly as he was hugged. "Uh… I guess the Sith never thought it was important to know my lineage."

"I suppose it's to be expected. He wanted a weapon to use against the Jedi, not a true apprentice that could realize his full potential."

"Well, I have beliefs that now my family is being attacked by him. Maybe he found a true apprentice who could live up to the standards he demands."

"Your family?" she asked.

"This human male and youngling was with him." A Nightsister said, pushing a wide-eyed Obi-Wan forward.

"Yes, my fiancé and daughter. We… currently don't have a home. Our old home was blown to bits by a terrorist."

"Daughter?" Talzin moved over to Obi-Wan, bending over a little so that she could see the little girl who clung shyly to her father. The woman then also looked over Obi-Wan more, probing him with the Force.

"You're a carrier. Male, but able to carry children." She observed before holding out her hands, "May I see my granddaughter?"

Obi-Wan hesitated but he sensed no danger in the request, so he nodded, "Eliza, would you like to?"

The girl looked up at him before looking at the smiling Talzin before giving a small nod and shifting to reach forward so she could be passed over to the tall woman.

Talzin took her, holding her protectively. "You are strong, little one."

"We visited Illum before coming here. Obi-Wan and I needed new crystals for new lightsabers. When we were about ready to leave, Eliza noticed something shiny in the snow. The Force gave her a crystal after she used the Force to lift some snowballs." Maul smiled at his daughter.

"Sisters, leave us. I will speak to my son and his family alone." Talzin said, dismissing the gathered women before gesturing the couple to follow her back into the tower. "You had mentioned you think that man is targeting your family?" she asked as they walked to a private sitting room.

"Yeah, pretty sure he sent an assassin or terrorist, someone to kill us, because whoever it was threw a thermal detonator into our home."

"Didn't like you breaking away from your leash, did he?" she muttered, sittin on a high-backed chair and placing Eliza on her knee. She then summoned over a plate of cookies, offering it to the little girl. "Have a seat and tell me what it is you need."

Maul led Obi-Wan over to the chairs sitting close to Mother Talzin. "We need protection. Something that will keep us safe from Sidious until he gets tired of hunting us down or dies."

"Oh, he'll die. I've been planning it since he stole you away." The woman said, leaning back and looking at her son, "However, that revenge isn't able to be immediate, and if he is after your life, it wouldn't do to leave you vulnerable."

"So you'll help us then?" Maul asked hopeful.

"You're my son, Maul Opress, you should have grown up here among your brothers as their leader. That life was taken from you at such a young age. I'll do what I can to help right that wrong."

The Zabrak smiled wide. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what a relief it is to know you'll help keep us safe."

"My granddaughter has much to do with the offer I'm about to give you." The woman said, smiling down at the girl who was quite enjoying her treat. "Traditionally only our females are allowed to learn the magicks of Dathomir and our males are sent off  to manage the physical labor of our society. Only a select few are ever trained to properly use the Force. But I will teach you what you normally would not be able to learn. Your power won't be as strong if you leave this planet, but it should give you the added protection you seek."

She paused, brushing a stray curl back behind Eliza's ear, "However, my condition for teaching you magick is that you allow Eliza here to also be taught, so that she can keep her heritage and true culture in her life. And I want visits."

Maul looked to Obi-Wan. "What do you think? Is that a fair deal? We'd still be with her when we bring her here to learn."

"It is part of who she is through your side of the family. As long as she wishes to learn, I take no issue with it. Plus what I will be teaching her is more to the light side, so she will be learning a good balance of light and dark side of the Force." He said after some thought.

Nodding, Maul looked back at Talzin. "Then I think we can make this arrangement work."

"Very well. Your mate won't be allowed to join you and your daughter as he is an outsider, but he may stay comfortable in the rooms I assign you during your visits."

"So he won't be able to watch her learn?"

"No. Our ways are not for outsiders. He can watch her practice in her own time, but he will not be permitted in our training grounds. I can only stretch our traditions so much." She explained.

"I understand." Obi-Wan nodded, "And I will respect your tradition. Thank you for allowing me to stay while my family is here."

"If Obi-Wan is okay with it then, I'd say we both agree to your terms then."

"Very well. I'll show you to your rooms and training begins tonight."

Following Talzin, the small family made their way to their rooms, unknowing of what really was ahead of them. Their safety was more ensured now, but Maul was still worried something might come up and threaten his family. Jedi had already come to tear it apart, so who was to say that the Sith wouldn't?

"These will be your rooms while you are here. My own personal rooms are just down the hall." She said, opening a door to a comfortable looking bedroom in the same dark colors as everything else surrounding the Nightsisters. "Settle in, and I'll come get you for supper once I have finished up some business."

Maul nodded. "Thank you," he said once more.

"Welcome home, my son." She said, handing Eliza over to Maul and smiling at them before leaving them alone.

Maul smiled at Eliza as he entered the same room Obi-Wan was going into. "Hopefully we'll be safe here on Dathomir."

"Well, I for one feel quite out of place, but even the Sith would be crazy to try anything against us here. It's once we head back to Naboo where we'll have to worry." Obi-Wan said, pulling out his com to let Padmé know their situation so that they could discuss if she should wait on the ship or leave and come back to pick them up later. Without knowing how long they'd be, he was sure the senator would leave and they'd have to make arrangements later to be picked back up.

"At least we won't have to worry about safety here." Maul hugged his daughter before setting her down on the floor.

Eliza then attached to his leg, "Who dat lady, Dada?"

"Technically, she is your grandmother."

"What dat mean?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, sitting down on the end of the bed, "Should have seen that question coming."

"It means she's my parent," the zabrak explained. "Like Daddy and I are your parents."

"Dada's dada?"

Obi-Wan laughed, falling back onto the bed, "Basically. But because she's a girl, it'd be more like she's Dada's Mama. Which makes her your Grandmama."

"Exactly,' Maul agreed with a smile.

"So…she nice? Not scary with cookies?"

"As far as I remember she's nice."

She nodded and sighed dramatically, "Like snowy fun better."

"I know you do, but we have to do some business stuff before we can play."

"Boo." She pouted, much to her parents' amusement.

 

* * *

 

"Keep trying, sweetie, you'll get it eventually," Maul encouraged Eliza as he sat in one one of her training sessions. It had been a few weeks since they had landed on Dathomir, and so far the small family had been the safest they had been since the burning of their home on Naboo.

"It hard." She pouted, obviously frustrated at trying to learn the basics of using shadow magicks.

"You're actually progressing very well for someone of your age learning this so late. I'm very impressed and proud of you, little one." Talzin said truthfully. The Nightsisters all were forged in their magicks as newborns, exposed to it when they were so tiny and innocent, that once they started learning to use it, it felt like second nature to them. But Eliza had been born on Naboo, and hadn't been able to soak in her birthright when it was ideal. She was older now, and had to be exposed slower so that the darkness wouldn't corrupt her mind and change who she was at her very core. Talzin may be willing to do that to chosen Nightbrothers or some Nightsisters who for some reason hadn't stayed in their coven for whatever reason, but she would not allow her own granddaughter to risk that corruption—even if that granddaughter had a lightsider parent teaching her things that seemed too much like Jedi nonsense.

"You really are," Maul agreed with Talzin. "You're doing such a good job. You'll be as powerful as me or Daddy soon."

"It hard." She repeated.

Talzin sighed, "Maybe you should take a break, little one, and you can watch your father try it. Maybe you'll notice something that'll make it easier for you."

Eliza nodded and looked over at her father.

"I don't know if I could use the shadow magicks, but I suppose I doesn't hurt to try." Maul stood up and took a similar stance Eliza had taken before, and soon he was going through the whole process of focusing the energy until he performed the move with grace.

"You should, my son." Talzin stated, "Even though you were born a male, I did expose you to the shadow magicks. Let it soak into you the very day you were born. You were not trained, of course, but it is a part of you, and can not corrupt you."

Maul shrugged. "I guess it's a natural part of me that I didn't have to think too hard about to perform the move."

"Indeed. And had Eliza been born here, it'd be easier for her. But she is still young, and the more time she trains, the better she will become. She is lucky she did not wait to come here." Talzin paused, her thoughts shifting to the lightsider currently inside waiting for her son and granddaughter. "But Until she has mastered control, I suggest she not practice without you around. If she loses control, it could corrupt your mate's mind and soul. Especially as he is a lightsider." Truth was she was starting to like Obi-Wan, even if he was far from the type of mate she would have chosen for her son to take. At least the human was a carrier and was able to provide Maul with heirs. And he had quite the sharp tongue when he needs. His quick quips at her one evening during supper had quickly put her at ease that the outsider was a good choice in a mate, even if he wasn't from Dathomir. She wouldn't admit it, though.

Maul nodded. "I'll make sure I'm around when she practices. Don't want anything bad to happen to Daddy."

"No hurt Daddy!" the little girl huffed out.

"We won't hurt Daddy," Maul promised. "We'll make sure not to practice magick when he's around."

The little girl nodded, "Only da kind Daddy teaches me? Not da Grandma kind?"

"That's right. At least until you are ready and can control it so your human father won't get hurt." Talzin said.

"All three of us can practice using the Force though." Maul smiled at Eliza. "It won't hurt me or Daddy to practice using that."

She nodded and crawled up into his lap, "I miss Daddy. He lonely alone."

"I know, sweetie. We'll go to see him as soon as we're done here."

She gave a small nod, "Okay."

 

* * *

 

Obi-Wan was glad Eliza wasn't with him as he activated his lightsaber and held it in front of him, his eyes narrowing at the Nightsister that had entered his family's room with two lightsabers bleeding red in hand.

"Those aren't the kind of weapons Nightsisters use." He commented.  
"This isn't the place a Jedi would run to hide, yet here we are. Why did you and that pathetic man who dared call himself Sith come here?"

"And you think you are a better Sith? You, who relied on a bomb to do your dirty work for you? There have been stronger attempts on my life." Obi-Wan spat back.

"I was only scaring you. The hope that you would be killed was there, but I knew I wouldn't kill you there when I burned down your home. Here is where I kill you. Face to face."

"Why?" Obi-Wan asked sharply, the question clearly throwing her off by the waver in her determined features, "What threat am I? I'm just a father, a husband—soon anyway, and a baker. I have no interest in fighting the Sith. I only hold this weapon because you threaten my peaceful life—and the life of my child."

Pausing, the attacker lowered her weapon. "I was hired...my goal was to bring back Maul to the Sith, but how can I do that when he has a family with you? There is a bigger plan here that I'm not part of."

"Maul isn't a Sith. Not anymore. He hasn't been for a long time. We don't care what his former master or the Jedi does as long as we can raise our daughter in peace. Maul has family here among the Nightsisters, we came here for protection only. Please—don't hurt my family."

The Nightsister, Ventress, sighed and retracted the blade of her lightsaber, clipping it back onto her hip. "There's too much I care about here to cause damage. Maul is like a brother to me, and that means you're basically my brother as well. I protect my kin with my life."

Obi-Wan relaxed and deactivated his purple blade, "Oh thank the Force." He put the saber back on his own belt before collapsing into a nearby chair, "I really didn't want to have to fight you. I haven't fought seriously in years, and Maul and I have only have a few small friendly spars to try and shake some rust…" he admitted.

"Don't worry, I've decided not to attack you anymore. Now the only worry is when my master will find out I've failed him… We'd all be in danger at that point."

"Maul won't tell me who the Sith master is…so I have no idea just what kind of person they are and how far they will go. I thought if we told the Jedi who the Sith is, then they could take care of it, but Maul wasn't big on that idea—of course the Jedi who had found us on Naboo did pull their sabers on him as soon as he walked in the door, so I guess I can't blame his mistrust."

"He is a vicious man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The three of us alone will not be enough to stop him. He manipulates and takes, and he always ends up on top." Ventress shook her head. "It'd take some sort of chosen one to defeat him."

"Chosen one? That's just a myth. If anything will bring the Force to a perfect balance, then lightsiders and darksiders will have to work together for that balance and stop trying to kill each other." He looked up at her and gestured to the seat across from him, "Why don't you sit? I have some tea if you'd like a cup."

"I suppose I could stay and rest a while…" She took Obi-Wan's offer to sit down and relax until Maul came back.

"I'd offer you more than this but as an outsider I'm not permitted to leave this room unless Maul, Mother Talzin, or one of a handful of Nightsisters are with me." He said, pouring Ventress a cup of tea and sliding it over to her before picking up his own cup again, "I don't believe I caught your name, either."

"Call me Ventress," she replied before taking a sip of her tea. "I suppose I should let others know that I'm here, and I will be staying this time."

"Well, it's nice to meet you properly, Ventress, and without the explosions." Obi-Wan smirked.

The Nightsister flashed a smirk. "Too bad you didn't get to see the real damage I could do."

"I'm sure it'd be a sight to behold—as long as it's not my family's home." He chuckled as the door suddenly opened and Eliza came running in.

"Daddy!"

She hopped up and landed in his lap, causing him to almost spill his tea. But he smiled down at her and set his cup aside, "Welcome back, princess. Did you have fun with Dada and Grandma?"

"Dada did da magicks! It hard though." She said.

Maul walked in with a smile on his face, though he was considerably slower at entering than his daughter was. "To be fair, I didn't know I could do it. I thought I was going to struggle like you did."

Obi-Wan smiled and leaned over to pick up a juice box he'd gotten out for Eliza, handing it to her as he settled her to sit properly on his lap rather than flopped over his legs like a rag doll.

"It's good to hear your training here is progressing, then. Meanwhile I got a surprise visitor sneaking in through our window."

Ventress waved with a smile at the girl. "Hello."

"One of the Nightsisters paying you a visit today?" Maul asked.

"Well," Obi-Wan smiled as he took a sip of his tea, "She had been planning to kill me, but as you can see, she settled for a truce and tea instead."

"Wait, what?" Maul glanced at Ventress briefly.

"Yes, my mission was to bring you back to the Sith and to our former master," Ventress explained. "But I realized that we're kin, and I would never hurt someone from my family, so I decided to forget my mission."

"Isn't she a gem?" Obi-Wan chuckled, "So now we don't have to worry about her—just the Sith Master who'll figure out eventually that the lovely Ventress here has turned from him."

Maul sighed. "Well, that's both a relief and a new worry."

"I know," Ventress said. "I do apologize for creating a new issue for your family now. If you would be willing to take my offer, I would like to help you protect your family, along with whatever Mother Talzin is doing to help."

"Honestly, the more help we have on our side, the faster we can return to our peaceful life." Obi-Wan said.

"But now we have to worry about the master of the Sith on our tails. We're now even more unprotected than we were before." Maul shook his head. "Still… If we can stay hidden, then we won't have a problem for a while. We need to just totally disappear, maybe travel beyond the Outer Rim, beyond Wild Space even."

"I don't think that's an adventure Padmé would be able to help us with." Obi-Wan spoke in a lower voice.

"I know, but not even my former master will be able to travel that far. There's nothing beyond the galaxy he'd want."

"We may never get to return to Naboo…" Obi-Wan said, "And no one really knows what's out there."

"At least we'd be safe…"

"I would be willing to go with you, and probably some of the other Nightsisters and Nightbrothers," Ventress said.

Obi-Wan looked at her, "Do you have a ship? That's sort of the biggest obstacle we face. Maul and I can't afford one, that's for sure. I'm not saying I'm all for this idea yet, I just need to know if it's even possible before we start taking the idea seriously."

"I myself do have a ship, but it's only big enough for one person. However, I could easily get us a ship that could hold quite a bit of people. If we bring enough, maybe we could start our own colony to start out in Wild Space." Ventress shrugged.

Obi-Wan nodded, "It seems we have a plan for if we do this, now…" he looked over at Maul, "You really want to do this?"

Maul nodded. "We would be safe for a lot longer than if we just stayed here or went back to Naboo."

Obi-Wan nodded and looked down at their daughter. Her safety had to come first, and while Wild Space was an unknown…the Sith was a guaranteed threat. He let out a breath and pulled her in closer to his chest before nodding, "Alright."

"I've got some catching up to do with the Nightsisters," Ventress said, standing up. "But I will inform Mother Talzin of the situation. Then I'll go get us a ship. When I return, we'll be ready to leave when you three are."

"Can I go?" Eliza suddenly asked, having finished her juice.

Ventress blinked. "I think you better stay with your parents. I'm leaving this planet to get the bigger ship."

"But I like going on avensers!" she pouted.

"You'll go when Dada and I go, sweetie." Obi-Wan promised her.

"And it'll be much safer if you go when we go," Maul added, moving to tap Eliza on the nose.

She puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

"Pouting won't change anything, little one. You can choose your own adventures when you're all grown up. But until then, Dada and I need to keep you safe."

"Because you are very precious to the galaxy." Maul ruffled her hair a bit, then looked at Ventress. "Go get that ship. We'll be waiting here for you when you return."

Nodding, the Nightsister turned and left the room, off to complete a new mission than meant life or death for the small family she was now to protect.

"I guess this makes us nomads." Obi-Wan said, standing up with Eliza dangling under his arm and giggling as she latched onto his leg. "Ready for the next chapter of our life together?"

"You bet I am," Maul said with a smile, moving in to kiss Obi-Wan.

Smiling, Obi-Wan leaned into the kiss as Eliza shifted and grabbed Maul's leg, slipping out of her human father's grip and clinging upside-down to the Zabrak's leg with both her arms and legs. "I caught you, Dada!"

Obi-Wan looked down, "Oh my, Looks like you have something silly stuck to you…shall I tickle it off for you?"

Maul chuckled. "Yes, I think some tickling will work just fine to remove the silly thing."

"Noooo!" Eliza giggled and laughed as Obi-Wan stooped down to start tickling her until she let go so that both the fathers could continue to tickle.

* * *

-End-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
